Increasing Employability

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Muslims Contribution to Science
Presented byM.A.Lateef Atear
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Topics

• Defining Science and Hikmah
• Science before Islam
• Contribution of Quran to science
• Contribution to modern science by Muslim
  scientists
• Down fall of Islamic era of science
• Action plan to revert the present situation

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Science or Hikma

• Study of nature
• Islam stresses to explore nature (Tahqeeq and
  Tasqeer)
• Expect us to know the force behind nature
• Once this is realized the concept of Creation
  (Maqlooq) and Creator (Qaleq) become obvious
• Knowledge of nature brings you closure to Allah

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Science

• After the birth of Mohammad (SAS) science took a
  different course
• Revelation of Al-Quran-ul-Hakeem changed the
  thinking process of mankind
• Islam brought science from imaginary
  philosophical concept to modern experimental and
  practical stage, so call Modern Science

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Science

• Al-Quran initiated a different thinking process
  in Muslim Scholars (Hukma or Muslim Scientists)
• Reaching precision and accuracy was their
  measurement
• They developed the method of investigation
  (Scientific Method)

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CAUTION

• I would like to caution the audience that
  science is constantly evolving from uncertainty
  to certainty, from imperfection to perfection,
  from trial and error to precision and accuracy.
  Therefore a knowledge, which is constantly
  evolving, and at any given time has not attained
  its perfection can not judge the absolute truth.
  In other words, Allahs words are absolute Hikma
  and can not be judged by scientific measures that
  are imperfect and are constantly evolving in
  search of absolute truth. Vice versa, if science
  is under the guidance of Hikma, then it is
  certain that truth will be revealed to us.

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Pre-Islamic Science

• Greek Philosophy
• Hippocates ( 460-377 BC) Socrates (469-399 BC),
  Plato (427-347 BC), Aristotle (384-322 BC)
• Hypothetical, speculative and imaginary
• No evidence of experimentation

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Islamic era of Science

• Birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
• (570 AD 632 AD)
• Begins with revelation of Quran (610 AD)

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Islam and Modern Scientific Methods

• The Challenge of Quran

Soon we will show them our signs in the
(furthest) regions (of the earth), and in their
own souls until it manifests truth on them.
(Sura Fussilat 4153)
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Importance of observation in Quran
Say Behold all that is In the heavens and on
earth (Sura Yunus 10101)
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Do they not look At the Camels, How they are
made (Sura Gashiya 8817)
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Say Travel through the earth And see how God
did Originate creation so will God produce a
later creation For God has Power over all Things
(Sura Ankabut 2920)
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And He has subjected to you as from Him,
All that is in heavens And on earth Behold, In
that are signs Indeed For those who
reflect (Sura Jathiya 4513)
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Quran gives many Scientific facts
Do not the Unbelievers see That the
heavens And the earth Were joined together (as
one Unit Of Creation), (Sura Anbiyaa 2130)
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Expansion of the Universe
And the heaven, we have built it with
power. Verily, we are expanding it. (Sura Al
Zariyat 5147)
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• From 8th century to 12th century, Arabic was the
  scientific language. - British Research 41

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• Muslim scholars introduced precise observation,
  controlled experiment and careful records.
  -Will Durant

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Jabir Ibn Hayyan (Geber) 721 815 CEKhorasan,
Iran

• Father of Chemistry

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Major Books Written by him

• Kitab Al-Kimya Book of Balances
• Kitab Al- Sabeen Book of the Kingdom
• Book of Eastern Mercury
• 100 Monumental Treatises, 22 on Chemistry and
  Alchemy

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His Achievements Contributions

• Invented alembic Systematized the process of
  distillation
• Break through includes - Nitric, Hydrochloric,
  Citric, and Tartaric Acids Preparation
• Paved the way for classification of substances
  into metals, non-metals and volatile substances
  and the law of constant proportions
• He perfected scientific techniques such as
  Crystallization, Distillation, Calcinations,
  Sublimation, Evaporation and development of
  Several Instruments for the Same

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• Pioneer of Applied Chemistry - Preparation of
  Various Metals, development of steel, dyeing of
  cloth and tanning of leather, varnishing of
  water-proof cloth, use of manganese dioxide in
  glass-making, prevention of rusting, lettering in
  gold, identification of paints, greases, etc

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Hadith

• Who so ever treats people without knowledge of
  Medicine, become liable. Al-Bukhari and
  Muslim

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• He who studies medicine without books sails an
  uncharted sea, but he who studies medicine
  without patients does not go the sea at all
• Dr. William Osler

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Ibn Sina (Avicenna) 980-1037 CEof Bukhara,
Uzbekistan
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Field of Contributions

• Hafiz
• Physician
• Islamic Philosopher
• Astronomer
• Chemist
• Logician
• Mathematician
• Poet
• Psychologist
• Sheikh
• Soldier
• Statesman
• Theologian

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Books Written by him

• Ibn Sina wrote almost 450 treatises on a wide
  range of subjects, of which around 240 have
  survived.
• In particular, 150 of his surviving treatises
  concentrate on Philosophy and 40 of them
  concentrate on Medicine
• His most famous works are The Book of Healing, a
  Vast philosophical and scientific encyclopaedia,
  and The Canon of Medicine which was a standard
  Medical text at Many Islamic and European
  universities up Until the early 19thcentury.
• The Canon of Medicine was used as a text-book in
  the universities of Montpellier and Louvain as
  late as1650.

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Medicine

• The Canon of Medicine was the first book dealing
  with Experimental Medicine, evidence-based
  medicine, randomized controlled trials and
  efficacy test sand it laid out the following
  rules and principles for testing the
  effectiveness of new drugs and medications, which
  still form the basis of clinical pharmacology and
  modern clinical trails
• "The drug must be free from any extraneous
  accidental quality.
• "It must be used on a simple, not a composite,
  disease.
• "The drug must be tested with two contrary types
  of diseases, because sometimes a drug cures one
  disease by Its essential qualities and another by
  its accidental ones.

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• The quality of the drug must correspond to the
  strength of the disease. For example, there are
  some drugs whose heat is less than the coldness
  of certain diseases, so that they would have no
  effect on them
• The time of action must be observed, so that
  essence and accident are not confused
• The effect of the drug must be seen to occur
  constantly or in many cases, for if this did not
  happen, it was an accidental effect
• The experimentation must be done with the human
  body, for testing a drug on a lion or a horse
  might not prove anything about its effect on man

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Legacy

• The single most famous book in the history of
  medicine, in east or west.
• Encyclopedia
  Britannica
• The canon has remained a medical bible for a
  longer time than any other work".
• Dr. William Osler
• The author of most famous book ever written
• Dr.William Osler
• Better to be mistaken following Avicenna, than
  to be correct following others
• Michelangelo

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Ibn Sina Featured on Tajikistans Currency
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Abbas Ibn Firnas ( Armen Firman) 810-887 CE
Izn-Rand Onda, al-Andalus (today's Ronda, Spain)

• First Man to Fly

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His Achievements Contributions

• First to make glass from stones (quartz)
• Designed a water clock called Al-Maqata
• "Ibn Firnas was the first man in history to make
  a scientific attempt at flying."
• Philip Khuri Hitti, in his book History of the
  Arabs
• He also devised means of manufacturing glass from
  sand to produce quartz glass, and he developed a
  chain of rings that could be used to display the
  motions of the planets and stars
• Invented an artificial weather simulation room,
  in which spectators saw stars and clouds, and
  were astonished by artificial thunder and
  lightning. These were due to mechanisms hidden in
  the basement

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• In 852, under the new Caliph 'Abd al-Rahman II,
  Ibn Firnas flew off from the minaret of the
  Mezquita mosque in Córdoba, using a huge
  wing-like cloak to break his fall, he sustain
  minor injuries. This was the first example of an
  early parachute
• In 875, at the age of 65 years, Ibn Firnas made
  the first attempt at controlled flight when he
  invented a hang glider with artifical wings, and
  launched himself from the Mount of the Bride
  (Jabal al-'arus) in the Rusafa Area, near
  Córdoba. The flight was largely successful, and
  was widely observed by a crowd that he had
  invited. However, the landing was not perfect

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El Zahrawi (Albucasis) 936 1013 CE
Córdoba, Spain

• Father of Surgery

Surgical Instruments by Al Zahrawi
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Books Written by him

• At-Tasrif - a medical Encyclopedia spanning 30
  volumes which included sections on Surgery,
  Medicine, Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology,
  Pharmacology, Nutrition etc
• Liber servitoris de preeparatione medicinarum
  simplicium, describes chemical preparations,
  tablet making, filtering of extracts and related
  pharmaceutical techniques
• Discussed cauterisation, bloodletting, midwifery
  and obstetrics and the treatment of wounds
  exposure and division of the temporal artery to
  relieve certain types of headaches diversion of
  urine into the rectum reduction mammoplasty for
  excessively large breasts and the extraction of
  cataracts injuries to bones and joints even
  mentioning fractures of the nasal bones and of
  the vertebrae

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His Achievements Contributions

• Outlined use of caustics in surgery, fully
  described tonsillectomy, tracheotomy and
  craniotomy- operations performed on a dead
  foetus used a hook to extract a polyp in the
  nose used a bulb syringe he invented for giving
  enemas to children and used a metallic bladder
  syringe and speculum to extract bladder stones
• The first to describe the so-called Walcher
  position in obstetrics the first to depict
  dental arches, tongue depressors and lead
  catheters the first to describe clearly the
  hereditary circumstances surrounding haemophilia
  described ligaturing of blood vessels long before
  Ambroise Pare
• The French surgeon Guy de Chauliac in his Great
  Surgery, completed in about 1363, quoted
  Al-Tasrif over 200 times. El Zahrawi was
  described by Pietro Argallata (1423 A.D.) as
  without doubt the Chief of all Surgeons

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MOHAMMAD BIN MUSA AL-KHAWARIZMI

• Greatest Mathematician that Ever Lived /
  Astronomer / Geographer

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Books Written by him

• Kitab al-Jama wal- Tafreeq bil Hisab al-Hindi on
  Arithmatic
• On Algebra, Al-Maqala fi Hisab-al Jabr wa-al-
  Muqabilah translated into Latin in the 12th
  century, and it was this translation, which
  introduced this new science to the West
  completely unknown till then.
• Astronomical Tables were also translated into
  European languages and, later, into Chinese
• Kitab Surat-al-Ard on Geography, together with
  its maps
• Two books on the Astrolabe
• Kitab al-Tarikh
• On sun-dials - Kitab al-Rukhmat

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His Achievements Contributions

• Founder of several branches and basic concepts of
  Mathematics
• Influenced mathematical thought to a greater
  extent than any other medieval writer - Phillip
  Hitti
• Work on Algebra was outstanding, as he not only
  initiated the subject in a systematic form but he
  also developed it to the extent of giving
  analytical solutions of linear and quadratic
  equations, which established him as the founder
  of Algebra
• The very name Algebra has been derived from his
  famous book Al-Jabr wa-al-Muqabilah

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His Achievements Contributions

• His arithmetic synthesised Greek and Hindu
  knowledge and contained his own contribution of
  fundamental importance to Mathematics and Science
• Developed decimal system so that the overall
  system of numerals, Algorithm or Algorizm is
  named after him

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Ibn Zuhr (Avenzoar) 1091 -1161 CE Seville, Spain

• The First Parasitologist

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Books Written by him

• Kitab Al-Taisir fi Al-Mudawat Wa Al-Tadbir (Book
  of Simplification concerning Therapeutics and
  Diet) gives in detail pathological conditions,
  followed by therapy
• Kitab Al-Iqtisad fi Islah Al-Anfus Wa Al-Ajsad
  (Book of the Middle Course concerning the
  Reformation of Souls and the Bodies) gives a
  summary of diseases, therapeutics and hygiene
  written specially for the benefit of the layman -
  A valuable discourse on Psychology
• Kitab Al-Aghthiya (Book on Foodstuffs) describes
  different types of food and drugs and their
  effects on health

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His Achievements Contributions

• Described correctly, for the first time, Scabies,
  the Itch mite and may thus be regarded as the
  first Parasitologist
• Prescribed Tracheotomy and direct feeding through
  the gullet and rectum in the cases where normal
  feeding was not possible
• Gave clinical descriptions of mediastinal
  tumorous, intestinal phthisis, inflammation of
  the middle ear, pericarditis, etc
• He gave the first accurate descriptions
  on neurological disorders, including meningitis,
  intracranial thrombophlebitis, and mediastinal
  tumours, and made contributions to modern
  neuropharmacology

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Ibn Al - Nafis 1213 - 1288 CEDamascus (Syriya)

• Great Physician

anatomia
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Books Written by him

• The most voluminous of his books is Al-Shamil fi
  al-Tibb, which was designed to be an encyclopedia
  comprising 300 volumes. The manuscript is
  available at Damascus
• Mujaz Al-Qanun Kitab Al-Mukhtar fi Al-Aghdhiya
  (the effects of diet on health)
• Elaborated the function of the coronary arteries
  as feeding the cardiac muscle
• Donated his house, library and clinic to the
  Mansuriya Hospital in Cairo, where he also served
  

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His Achievements Contributions

• His major contribution of great significance was
  his discovery of the bloods circulatory system,
  which was rediscovered by modern science after a
  lapse of three centuries
• He was the first to correctly describe the
  constitution of the lungs and gave a description
  of the bronchi and the interaction between air
  and blood in the human blood vessels
• Elaborated the function of the coronary arteries
  feeding the cardiac muscle. Wrote detailed
  commentaries on early works, critically
  evaluating them and adding his own original
  contributions

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Nasir Al-Din Al Tusi 1201- 1274 CE Kadhimain
near Baghdad, Iraq

• Mathematics, Astronomy, Philosophy and Religion

Tusi couple from Vat. Arabic ms 319
A Treatise on Astrolabe by al-Tusi, Isfahan
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Books Written by him

• Al-Zij-Ilkhani Tajrid-Al-Aqaid (Islamic
  Scholastic Philosophy
• Akhlaqi-Nasri book on ethics entitled Al-Risalah
  Al-Asturlabiyah A Treatise on astrolabe
• Wrote 64 treatises one-fourth concern
  Mathematics, another fourth Astronomy, another
  fourth Philosophy and Religion, and the remainder
  other subjects
• Invented an instrument torqued that contained
  two planes

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His Achievements Contributions

• In Trigonometry, his major contribution in
  Spherical Trigonometry which was compiled as a
  new subject in its own right for the first time
• Produced new astronomical tables called
  Al-Zij-Ilkhani. Which became the most popular
  tables among astronomers and remained so till the
  15th century
• Pointed out several serious shortcomings in
  Ptolemys astronomy and foreshadowed latters
  dissatisfaction with the system that culminated
  in the Copernican reforms
• Invented an instrument torqued that contained
  two planes

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His Achievements Contributions

• Instrumental in establishment and progress of
  Maragha observatory
• Wrote several treatises on different sciences and
  subjects including on Geometry, Algebra,
  Arithmetic, Trigonometry, Medicine, Metaphysics,
  Logic, Ethics and Theology
• In Philosophy, apart from his contribution in
  logic and meta-physics, his work on ethics
  entitled Akhlaqi-Nasri became the most important
  book on the subject remained popular for
  centuries
• Tajrid-al-Aqaid was a major work on Al-Kalam
  (Islamic Scholastic Philosophy) and enjoyed
  widespread popularity

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Ibn Zakariya Al-Razi (Rhazes) 864 - 930 CE
Ray, Iran

• One of the Greatest Physicians of all times

Kitab_fi'l-Judari
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Major Books Written by him

• Kitab al- Mansoori
• Al-Hawi 22 Volumes (The Comprehensive Book) A
  Medical EncyclopediaTranslated in Latin and
  printed 40 times between 1498-1866. It was
  translated in English in 1848
• Kitab al-Mulooki and Kitab al-Judari wa al
  Hasabah
• Jami-fi-al-Tib
• Maqalah fi al- Hasat fi Kuli wa al-Mathana
• Kitab al-Qalb
• Kitab al-Mafasil
• Kitab-al- Ilaj al-Ghoraba
• 200 outstanding scientific contributions 100
  deal with Medicine and 21 concern Alchemy. He
  also wrote on Physics, Mathematics, Astronomy and
  Optics

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His Achievements Contributions

• First to draw clear comparisons between smallpox
  and chickenpox
• The first to use opium for anesthesia
• Pioneer of Neurosurgery Ophthalmology
• Author of the 1st book of Pediatric
• The largest Medical Encyclopedia composed by then
•  Distinguished between Inorganic and Organic
  Chemistry

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His Achievements Contributions

• The first to produce Sulfuric Acid together with
  some other acids
• Prepared Alcohol by fermenting sweet products
• Introduced concepts of space time as
  constituting a continuum
• Greatly influenced development of Science, in
  general, Medicine, in particular
• Designed about twenty instruments used in
  chemical investigations

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• Abu Bakr Mohammad Ibn Zakariya Al-Razi (Rhazes),
  The Greatest Physician of Islam and the Medieval
  Ages
• George Sarton
• In May 1970 World Health Organization recognized
  Al-Razis work on small pox and measels
  (Al-Judari-Wal-Hasbah)
• In 1930, thousand years of Al-Razi was celebrated
  in Paris, France
• His picture hangs in the Hall of the Faculty of
  Medicine in the University of Paris

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Picture of Al-Razi, Stained Glass Window
Cambridge University Medical School, LONDON
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Al - Haitham (Alhazen) 965 1040 CEBasra in
Iraq (Mesopotamia)

• Father of Optics

Eye Diagram in 11th Century
Diagram of the Eyes and Related Nerves From
Kitab Al Manazir in 11th Century
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Books Written by him

• Mizan -Al-Hikmah - discusses the density of the
  atmosphere and developed a relation between it
  and the height
• Kitab-Al-Manadhir - Exerted a great influence
  upon western science e.g. on the work of Roger
  Bacon and Kepler - brought about great progress
  in experimental methods
• His Monumental treatise on Optics survived
  through its Latin translation

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His Achievements Contributions

• Known for the earliest use of the camera obscura
• Carried out the first experiments on the
  dispersion of light into its constituent colours
• The first to describe accurately various parts of
  the eye and give a scientific explanation of the
  process of vision
• Made a thorough examination of the passage of
  light through various media and discovered the
  laws of refraction
• Dealt at length with the theory of various
  physical phenomena like shadows, eclipses,
  rainbow, and speculated on physical nature of
  light

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• Ibn al-Haytham, physicist, mathematician, and
  engineer made tremendous contributions to the
  scientific community above all, his theories on
  color and vision, refraction, and reflection are
  by far his most significant.
• 
  -Damon J. Kopala
• Devised first law of motion that body will move
  perpetually until stopped by an outside force
• Danielle Hess
• He disproved the Emission theory of vision by
  Euclid and Ptolemy by using scientific method
• Encyclopedia Britannica

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Harold Anderson Bosch Lomb
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Ibn Ahmad Al-Biruni 973 - 1048 CE Kheva,
(present day Uzbekistan)

• One of the Greatest Scientists of all times

Lunar Eclipse
An eight-geared lunisolar calendar illustrated in
Al-Biruni's treatise on the astrolabe, written in
AD 996. The design is much simpler than that of
the Antikythera Mechanism, but is very probably
descended from it.
Sextant
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• Books Written by him
• Katib Al-Saidana (Indian Medicine)
  Kitab-al-Jamahir deals with the properties of
  various precious stones
• Kitab-Al-Hind (History and Geography of India)
  Al-Tafhim-li-Awail Sinaat Al-Tanjim - a summary
  of Mathematics and Astronomy
• Al-Athar Al-Baqia - connected account of ancient
  history of nations with related geographical
  knowledge - Discussed rotation of the earth
• Qanun-i Masoodi (Al-Qanun Al-Masudi, fi Al-Haia
  wa Al-Nujum) - on Astronomy, Trigonometry, solar,
  lunar, and planetary motions and relative topics
  

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His Achievements Contributions

• The first to undertake experiments related to
  astronomical phenomena
• Scientific contributions include the accurate
  determination of the densities of 18 different
  stones
• Developed a method for trisection of angle and
  other problems which cannot be solved with a
  ruler and a compass alone
• His descriptions of India were so complete that
  even the Aein-i-Akbari, 600 years later, owes a
  great deal to al-Birunis book
• Al-Biruni knew that the Earth Rotates about its
  own axis, some 600 years prior to Galileo, and
  determined the Earth's Circumference some 700
  years prior to Newton

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AL- IDRISI (DRESES) 1099 1166 CE CEUTA,
SPAIN

• First Man To Draw World Map

Map of the World in 1154 by Idrissi
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Books Written by him

• Rawd-Unnas wa-Nuzhat al-Nafs (Pleasure of men and
  delight of souls) also known as Kitab al-Mamalik
  wa al-Masalik Another Geographical Encyclopedia,
  larger than the former
• Al-Kitab al-Rujari (Rogers Book), also entitled
  Nuzhat al-Mushtaq fi Ikhtiraq al-Afaq (The
  delight of him who desires to journey through the
  climates) - a Geographical Encyclopedia of the
  time, containing information not only on Asia and
  Africa, but also Western countries.

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His Achievements Contributions

• Made available a large number of new drugs and
  plants together with their evaluation to the
  medical practitioners.
• Gave the names of the drugs in six languages
  Syriac, Greek, Persian, Hindi, Latin and Berber.
• Made a planisher in silver for King Roger II
• Travelled far and wide in connection with his
  studies and then flourished at the Norman court
  in Palermo. His major contribution lies in
  Medicinal Plants (Botany) as presented in his
  several books, especially Kitab al-Jami-li-Sifat
  Ashtat al-Nabatat.

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His Achievements Contributions

• Studied and reviewed all the literature on the
  subject of medicinal plants till that time
• Contributed to Geography, especially as related
  to Economics, Physical Factors and Cultural
  Aspects.
• Also wrote on Fauna, Zoology, and Therapeutical
  Aspects
• Geography books remained popular both in the East
  and the West for several centuries

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Al - Battani (Albategnius) 858 929 CEHarran,
Turkey

• One of the Greatest Astronomers of his times

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Books Written by him

• Zij - which is known to be more accurate than all
  others written before that time
• His Most famous book an De scienta stellerum on
  astronomical treatise with tables - De numeris
  stellerum et motibus

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His Achievements Contributions

• Accurately determined solar year as being 365
  days, 5 hours, 46 minutes and 24 seconds
• Provided very neat solutions by means of
  orthographic projection for problems of spherical
  trigonometry
• Original discoveries both in Astronomy and
  Trigonometry of great consequence in the
  development of these sciences
• Determined with remarkable accuracy the obliquity
  of the ecliptic, the length of the seasons and
  the true and mean orbit of the sun
• Rectified several orbits of the moon and planets
  and propounded a new and very ingenious theory to
  determine the conditions of visibility of the new
  moon

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lbn Al Baitar 1248 CEMalaqa, Spain

• The Greatest Scientists of Muslim Spain the
  Greatest Botanist and Pharmacist of the Middle
  Ages

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Books Written by him

• His second monumental treatise Kitab al-Mlughni
  fi al-Adwiya al-Mufrada is an Encyclopedia of
  Medicine. The drugs are listed in accordance with
  their therapeutical value
• Kitab al-Jami fi al-Adwiya al- Mufrada, is one of
  the greatest botanical compilations dealing with
  Medicinal Plants in Arabic -enjoyed a high status
  among botanists up to the 16th century

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His Achievements Contributions

• Kitab al Jami a systematic work that embodies
  earlier works, with due criticism, and adds a
  great part of original contribution. The
  encyclopedia comprises 1,400 different medicinal
  plants and vegetables, of which about 200 plants
  were not known earlier
• Contributions characterised by observation,
  analysis and classification
• Provided names in Greek and Latin, paving way for
  transfer of Knowledge
• Exerted a profound influence on Eastern as well
  as Western Botany and Medicine

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Nagar, Hyderabad-500028 Mobile -
9247578583 Email ilmhyderabad_at_gmail.com URL
www.al-ilm.org
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